Not all concept cars are intended for public eyes; Ford built this as a rolling research project, and it's spent much of its life hidden away. But what D-528 reveals about 1950s design is fascinating.

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A focus on Alvis

Founded in 1919, the Alvis name reputedly came from a design of piston; ‘al’ from ‘aluminum’ and ‘vis’ meaning ‘strong’ in Latin. Its 12/50 and 12/60 models were notable early designs and it was also a pioneer of front-wheel-drive during the 1920s. It built a range of imposing and progressive sports models during the 1930s but adopted a one-model policy after the war.

In 1955, Swiss firm Graber penned a new and very handsome body; these TC108G, TD21 , TE21 and TF21 models were noted for their arresting appearance, especially the final twin-stacked headlamp cars. Competitor Rover took over the firm in 1965 and, from 1967, Alvis was confined to just military machines.